Stranded
by xwhiteheartx
Summary: Only the great Steve McGarrett could turn a romantic mid-night stroll on the beach with his boyfriend into a living nightmare, for Danny anyway...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys, So I have a brand new story with brand new ideas, I love writing these stories for you guys :). Thanks Keep Smiling xx**_

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Steve and Danny had been walking for what seemed like hours, there was no one on the beach this late at night, it was dead silent as they walked along hand in hand, the soft sound of the crashing waves did nothing but make Steve relax even more. He could not have pictured a better night, he was walking bare foot on the golden Hawaiian sand at night with nothing but the starlight to guide him his way, but best of all, he was doing all of this with the loud mouth Jersey detective who ranted and raved, always argued and made fun of him constantly, and somehow along the line he had fallen completely, madly and utterly in love with him.

"You ok babe? You have been silent for a while now?" Steve was ripped from his thoughts as the familiar voice he knew and loved brought him back to his perfect reality, looking down at the blonde as he stood there waiting for an answer, he just couldn't help himself. Using his grip he had on Danny's hand he pulled him in close, resting their bodies together and smiling before he gently pushed his lips against Danny's. It was slow and sweet and it summed up everything he felt. Pulling away and resting their foreheads against each other the both just smiled like teenagers and breathed together,

"God I love you!" laughing at the fact that they even said that at the same time, Steve pulled Danny towards the water's edge, Danny allowing himself to be towed had no idea what was going on in his goofy boyfriends head. They reached the water and it swept across their bare feet as they treaded deeper until they were deep enough that the water splashed over their knees but below their shorts, the calming feeling of water lapping gently over their skin was cool and refreshing, waking them both up. Steve pulls Danny close again and leans in to kiss him, he would never get tired of kissing that man but not this time, just as their lips were about to meet, Steve splashed Danny with water, causing Danny to take a step back in surprise while Steve broke out in laughter.

Wiping the water from his eyes, he really wanted to be mad, why couldn't he be mad? Steve was the reason; he just couldn't get mad at that man. "I take it back…" Danny spluttered drying his face off with his t-shirt before looking at the look of panic and sadness on Steve's face, then deciding to put him out of his misery. "There is nothing wrong with you, you my friend are fine," before joining in on Steve's laughter.

A few minutes later after makeup kisses had been exchanged -more enthusiastically than necessarily needed- , Steve saw what looked like a lump of volcanic rock about 200m away from them, perfect for scaling, that got Steve thinking, pulling Danny in for another quick kiss he whispered in his ear "Hey… I want us to do something, that is fun… exhausting and we will almost definitely be sweaty afterwards" Steve knew this wasn't fair, he was planting quick kisses all over Danny's neck before he decided this would be the right time to drop the bombshell, leaning in and giving him a really deep, passionate kiss he whispered "Race you to the top of that rock!" before dashing off getting a good lead on the Jersey Detective. He heard Danny shouting something along the line of "REALLY STEVEN!" before the sound of Danny catching up with him got louder. Soon they were running side by side doing anything to win, Danny managed to stick his foot so Steve topple dover into the soft Hawaiian sand but he grabbed Danny's ankle as he went down, forcing him to fall to.

Holding him down for a second he whispered "I didn't think you played dirty in sports as well…" before getting up and running into the lead once again, Steve whispering that in his ear had sent shivers down Danny's spine, he knew fine well what Steve meant and planned to make him pay for it later… getting up and brushing the sand off his gorgeous ass – Steve continuously reminded him of it- he started to jog to catch up with Steve, who by this time had reached the bottom of the rock that was a good 10 feet from shore and the tide was coming in a bit too fast.

"Hey Steve, maybe we shouldn't, we could get caught in the tide, its coming in fast!" he shouted cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice, which he did not need to do. Steve just replied shouting that Danny was just scared he was going to lose, shaking his head and exhaling deeply Danny started to scale the mammoth piece of rock just sitting on the beach. Thankfully climbing was Danny's stronger point than running and he was soon at the same level as Steve and overtaking him. Danny was just reaching the top thinking what he was going to say in order to rub it in his big tough Navy SEALs face, when he heard Steve yell out in what sounded like pain.

"AAAAHHH!"

"STEVE, STEVE are you ok? Can you hear me, Steve? Come on?!" Danny knelt down on the top of the ledge of rock on which he was perched and tried his best to look down to locate Steve, he must have been about 75feet up, that's when he heard those blissful words,

"I'm fine Danny…"

"It'll be fun he says, no worries he says and look what the hell happens! I told you, Steve McGarrett, definition Danger Magnet!" Danny shouted back as he started to descend the rock to aid his wounded boyfriend. When he finally got down to Steve what he saw was Steve sitting up staring at him, arms folded but legs twisted in a hell of a way you would swear it wasn't Steve's , Danny could see that Steve was trying to keep the expression of immense agony hidden, shame Danny could always see straight through him.

"I'm a danger magnet? And just how many times are you going to tell me that?!" Steve asked trying to sound tough but he could see Danny wasn't buying it as he leant up against the rock face, his arms and legs crossed just staring down at his wounded soldier.

"Really Steven? I will stop telling you it when you stop being it, no exceptions! Right can you stand at all?" asked Danny as he moved off the rock face and tended to Steve, he managed to get him standing and walking, well hobbling. Flinging his arm around Danny's shoulders he whispered in Danny's ear "Love you Danno," all he got back was a "yeah, yeah sure you do". Slowly but surely Danny managed to get Steve to the top of the rock as that's what they were closest to, there was no way they were descending so up seemed like the logical choice, resting Steve against a big of upturned rock, it was sturdy enough to take his weight, sitting back and panting they just looked at each other in silence, which Danny chose to break, again...

"I am going to buy you a dog tag that says _Unless you have a good lawyer and a death wish, don't come near me, _and I will make you show everyone we meet, just in case they think because you are a sea man you are safe to be around."

"That's nice Danno I look forward to you putting it on for me, now where is your phone because I don't plan on staying up here all night, even though I am with you, this" he emphasised his leg before looking back up at Danny "is hurting like a bitch, and I really would like to get home to **our **bed" Making sure to put extra emphasis on the word our Danny could see the gleam of lust raging through Steve's veins, it was full throttle in his eyes and Danny knew he wasn't the patient type.

"Phones back at the house, on the blanket on the beach, before you decided it would be nice if we went a walk…"

"So you are saying that this is my fault?" Retaliated Steve before Danny could go off in one of his rants, but then he realised asking that exact question was just giving Danny ammo to start ranting, but it was too late to take it back now, he would have to bite the bullet he shot.

Danny just looked at him; he could see the pain that was in his eyes from his injury but most of all, he saw devoted love with a bit of cocky attitude. How could he stay agitated at that? Sighing and rubbing his hand through his slowly tangling hair, "No, Steve I do not blame you but we really don't need to be up here, so where is your phone?"

Steve sighed and started patting down the several pockets of his cargoes, taking extra care on the back pockets for the satisfaction of Danny. Sighing he started to double check all his pockets before he was rudely interrupted.

"Hey, hey, hey you have aneurysm face? Why do you have aneurysm face? Steven, where is your phone?" Danny started, kneeling down beside him looking deep into those deep blue eyes as he tugged at the clinging white shirt Steve wore in order to get his attention, which of course did.

"I can't find my phone…"


	2. Chapter 2

Taking a deep breath, calming himself Danny managed to get a quick "What do you mean you can't find it?" through gritted teeth before going into full blown rant mode. "SO WE ARE STUCK UP HERE, FOR WHAT ETERNITY? I SWEAR TO GOD STEVEN, WHEN AND IF WE GET OUT OF THIS, YOU HAD BETTER RUN SUPER SEAL, AND YOU HAD BETTER RUN FAST! What the hell are we supposed to do now and why the hell are you laughing? Do you not understand how serious this is? Can you not get it through your thick skull!?"

Steve had started laughing around "STUCK UP HERE?" because he knew for a fact his phone just fallen out of his pocket when he did, so it was sitting on a ledge a little further down, but he knew it was just as dangerous to stop Danny mid-rant as it was to take a bullet. He did not want to risk it, so he let the man carry on. Only after he had come out of his thoughts did he notice Danny standing above him staring down at him with a look to kill on his face, realising it was his time to speak.

"Well can I speak now?" he asked and he knew he was pushing it by the gush of air Danny pushed against his lips and waving his arms urging him to explain whilst starting to walk to the other side of the rock to have a look round, the tide was coming in to fast for his liking but Steve had started to talk. "Ok, when I fell, my phone must have fallen out of my pocket without me noticing, ergo it's still down there…" he concluded, sitting crossing his arms as he leant against the rock and smiling his _told you _smile.

"Ergo?" Danny smiled, raising his eyebrow at the word use, especially due to the fact it was coming from Steve. Looking at his boyfriend, how the hell had he gotten into this relationship? And why was he grateful he did? "Right I am going to go down and have a look for it; did you by any chance take a torch in those Mary Poppins pants?" Going straight to one of his side pockets on his shorts, his un-injured leg, Steve pulled out and held it out for Danny to come and collect. Grunting at Steve's refusal to just throw the torch, Danny pulling his hair back tighter, sighed as he began to clamber back over the rocky surface to get the torch.

It was working, Danny was making his way over to him, sitting there helpless to do anything, unable to move, while Danny was about to clamber down a rocky cliff face without safety equipment in order to get them out of this, another reason he was completely love struck with him. Reaching for the torch Steve pulled it from Danny's grip pulling Danny down to his height instead; before he could react Steve's lips were on his. The kiss was soft and sweet even when Danny reacted to the kiss he could tell it was a comfort one saying "You be careful, or I will kick your ass when I get a hold of you!" pulling away they both just smiled as though they were teenagers but they couldn't care less, they were healthy, alive and in love. What else did they need?

Sneaking the torch from Steve's grip and looking at the fear of his lover's eyes staring right back at him, he had never seen someone so scared for his safety before. He had never felt this cared for since he left his parent's house in Jersey, he was the bloke, he was the one that did the protecting but with Steve, he finally felt like someone was there for him, looking after him, not that he needed looking after but still. Pulling away and walking to the cliff edge, he looks over his shoulder gives one more reassuring smile and starts to climb down the jagged rock face, seeing as they were both bare foot, the rocks were ripping into their feet but he had to get the phone so he could get the help Steve needed, that was the only thing that managed to keep him going.

Choosing his path carefully, he couldn't go down the way he had come with Steve because Steve was leaning across the way out and moving him is not what he needed now, so he had to take another route, this one was a steeper drop if something went wrong…

"How are you Danny, you doing okay?" Came a familiar holler from above, and when he is focussed Daniel Williams is not one for normal replies.

"Yes Oprah, just give me a minute to actually look!" he shouted back, letting go of the piece of rock he had been using as a balance and dropping to the ledge below with a soft thud, landing as if it hadn't been that big of a deal but seeing as it was a 10 foot drop it should have been less graceful than it was. "I'm down," brushing the red rock dust off his hands and blue shirt "I am going to see if I can find it, shout if the pain gets worse, got it McGarrett?"

"Yes Honey!"

"Sarcastic much?" he shouted back as he dragged the torch out of his shorts pocket and began the search for the lost phone. Even if he did find it what is to stay it would still be intact? Steve wasn't the smallest of guys and he did fall pretty badly, the phone had probably smashed to a thousand pieces. "Why can't we have one night where everything goes right?" he muttered under his breath as he shone the torch on every nook and cranny of the rock where Steve fell, he knew he was in the right place because of the pool of blood on the ledge he was standing on, but wasn't there another ledge right next to the one where Steve fell? Taking a step back as far as he dared to go Danny looked across the rock face and spotted the double ledge right next to the one he was on.

So if Steve fell over there, then why was there a pool of fresh blood right here…?


	3. Chapter 3

_So if Steve fell over there, then why was there a pool of fresh blood right here…?_

Kneeling down beside the pool of blood, Danny shone the torch directly into the centre, it was still pure red, no smudges, no colour change, still perfectly in tact and that was never a good thing. Placing the torch down and dipping just the tip of his finger in the middle, it was still warm. Taking it out and rubbing his finger clean on his shirt, Danny stood back up taking the torch with him as he shone it around and over the cliff face. Shining the torch on the ledge next to him where Steve had fallen, he noticed something glinting at him and was taken over by a sigh of relief once he figured out it was the phone.

Looking down once more at the blood he took a deep breath and started to clamber over the jagged ledge in order to reach the phone.

"Ah, yah son of a bitch!" he hissed as he didn't lift his foot high enough, and a stray rock gouged its way into his foot. Hoping on one foot and putting the torch in his mouth he tried to assess the damage until he heard the familiar tone of Steve's voice shouting from above him.

"What have you done now?" There was a hint mocking under all the concern which put the tiniest smile on Danny's face, seeing as he still had the torch in his mouth. Sighing he knew what he had to do. Taking the torch out of his mouth and putting it in one of the many nooks of the cliff face, he started to take his shirt off before shouting back up to Steve.

"I blame you!" Sitting back against the cliff, with his now newly removed shirt, he took a deep breath and ripped it right down the middle. seeing as he was now shirtless, Danny could feel the faint sting of the ocean spray as he leant against the cliff face, ripping at his shirt. It was his new, new favourite shirt, seeing as Steve had ruined the past 3 between one thing and another. Ripping the smallest piece again into a more suitable size, Danny wrapped it as tightly as he dared around his flesh wound.

"How is whatever you have done, my fault Daniel?" Steve smirked, readjusting himself against the rock he had been leaning against since Danny helped him up there 10 minutes ago. Being a Navy SEAL he couldn't just leave his injured leg. Pulling it up as close as he could, he tried to assess what he had done. It was broken; no doubt about it, how bad the break was that was a different matter. He could tell by the agonising pain shooting up and down his leg that this was going to be a bitch to heal. Looking around for anything he could use to ease the pain, he came up with nothing he would just have to grin and bear it until help arrived and he just hoped that Danny would be able to keep his mind off of the pain, not that Danny ever disappointed.

"Because if you hadn't suggested we had raced to the top of this mini Hawaii, then you wouldn't have fallen and almost definitely broke your leg and dropped your phone. I wouldn't be down here looking for it, worried sick about you and now tending a bleeding foot. Before you even bother Steven, I am fine! Just let me get to the phone and we will be out of this soon, I promise." And Steve, sit still! I can hear you moaning from down here!"

"Wouldn't be there first time, eh Danno?" Retaliated Steve, he could hear Danny going on full rant mode, he was going to pay for that comment later and he knew it, he started to tune into Danny's rant as it genuinely got louder and louder.

"Neanderthal, I could just leave you up there. Let the wolves get you…" briefly getting interrupted by Steve's argument that there weren't any wolves in Hawaii. "I do not care Steven! That was not my point! The fact is that what you have to say in this kind of situation is a- not funny and b- just plain annoying! Ergo if you have nothing helpful to say, don't say anything at all…" There was a brief pause and then Steve took the biggest chance he had ever even attempted. Danny had started to clamber to the edge of the ledge before taking that giant leap, which was when he heard it, mid jump.

"I love you, Danno!" Steve shouted as it echoed around the other cliffs and the smooth sound of the ocean waves. It had never even occurred to Steve to tell him this now, he had only ever admitted it to himself when he was in his own company or in his thoughts, but it felt right to tell him now. Why? Did there have to be a reason?

Landing with a soft thud on the next ledge, the beautiful words reached Danny's ears the smile that spread across was unimaginable. He hadn't smiled like this since; Gracie had tried to say his name. He was grinning like a teenage girl but soon composed himself. "Steve?"

Drawing in a deep breath and closing his eyes, Steve waited for a few extra seconds of his ignorant bliss, before shouting back his reply. "Yeah?"

"I love you too…" before standing up and walking over to the phone, picking it up as he held his breath. Please don't be smashed; please don't be smashed, as he turned it over. "Oh thank god," he whispered under his breath as he turned the phone on, but what popped up? "No signal, are you kidding me!? I thought I told you to switch contracts! You know this phone gets crap reception!" Shouted Danny as he tucked the phone into his pocket and took hold of one of the nook s in the rock, replacing the torch in his mouth hoping for some form of guidance as he started to rescale the cliff face.

"Really Danny? Two seconds ago we were admitting that we love each other and you already manage to find something to complain about, plus I never got a chance! I have been a bit busy lately if you haven't noticed sweetheart!" Steve replied sarcastically as the sound of Danny mumbling quietly put his mind at ease, knowing he was still there and still ok and the fact he had found the phone, now hopefully they would get better signal up here and get a hold of someone so they could get out of here.

Putting his uninjured foot in one of the only nooks at his height, Danny felt something odd and definitely not rock like.

"What's taking you so long Daniel? I thought you were in pretty good shape considering your age…" Steve new straight away that he was going to pay for that, but the way Danny reacted always amused him and so kept him entertained as he was getting mind-numbingly bored sitting at the top of this cliff on his own, while Danny was scaling, locating and risk taking. He was sitting on his backside watching the stars and laughing.

"You want me to break your other leg McGarrett? Because you will not be getting very far without my help and there is no one here to hear you scream… You know from several different situations I have amazing stamina, right Steve?!" Danny retaliated with a growing smirk on his face as he removed his foot from the cranny and took the torch from his mouth in order to investigate what the gooey sensation from inside the cliff was. Kneeling down beside the cranny several rocks had been lodged in between the two cliffs, so Danny could only feel the bottom of the cranny and what was inside it. He leant down as far as he dared and shone the torch directly into the centre of the everlasting abyss of darkness until he saw what was inside…


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey I know I am sorry I haven't updated Stranded in ages but I have like three other stories on the go as well and I cannot stop any of them because I love writing them haha! Massive thanks to mirs13 who has done a fantastic job of getting me out of my block and has helped massively with this chapter. Please read and review cant wait to hear what you guys think. Keep Smiling :)**_

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"You really can't go anywhere on this island without finding something staring back at you, can you Steven?" shouted Danny as he reached his hand into the nook and pulled out what had felt so gooey and squishy under his weight; an octopus. An honest to god eight armed, tentacle sucking octopus. Grabbing its gooey and fleshy body, he quickly tossed it off the cliff and back into the water. Now if it was still alive or not, Danny did not know and frankly he did not care because all he really wanted to do was get back up to Steve with the cell phone safely intact, so he turned around and once again began his ascent. While he had been completing the search and rescue mission for Steve's phone, he hadn't noticed the tide had come in and now they were going to be stranded on this piece of lifeless rock till the tide turned faithfully once again. With the waves crashing around the rocks below, it would be too perilous to swim out, especially with Steve being one leg short, so that was not an option. Sighing and running his hands through his now limp and wavy blonde locks, he checked that the phone was still in his pocket. Placing the torch back in his mouth, Danny decided the best thing to do was to get back to his wounded sailor and hope the phone got better cell reception up top.

Placing his foot back into the same nook as before, he was met yet again by another unpleasant surprise. It was another squishy feeling, but this one felt warm to his foot. Sighing and rolling his eyes, he removed his foot again. He bent down to fish out what he presumed was another octopus. When he reached in, he wasn't met by the slimy tentacle filled arms, but instead was met by something smooth and soft. Shining his torch back into the hole, he couldn't quite see whatever it was that he was feeling. All the rocks and boulders that were wedged in between the two cliffs were in the way and preventing him from fishing the object out. Danny decided the best course of action would be to remove all the rocks so he could gain easier access.

While Danny was down below having all the fun, Steve has been leaning against the rock face wondering what the hell was going on. "What is taking you so long Daniel? I thought you already had the phone?!" Steve yelled down to his suddenly quiet partner. The silence was causing his heart to jump into his throat and a knot to form in his stomach. A cool sweat began to gather on the back of his neck as he was met with nothing more than an eerie silence as he waited patiently for a reply. Then he heard the sound of something heavy dropping into the water. After that, it seemed like even the waves had gone silent and he instantly became alert and went straight into SEAL mode. Steve hates the not knowing and he hates that he is injured and practically immobile even worse.

"DANNY!? CAN YOU HEAR ME? DANNY!" Steve shouted as he tried to drag his limp body to the opposite side of the cliff from where Danny had left him. Steve was mentally trying to figure out if it had in fact been Danny that had fallen into the water or if something else could have happened. Steve knew for a fact that Danno don't swim, despite the fact that Danny had repeatedly told Steve that he indeed knew how to swim, but preferred to only do so in the controlled environment of a swimming pool or not at all. The thing that worried Steve the most was the outcome of the fall. What if it had been Danny that had fallen off the rock and into the startled waters? What if he was being thrown against the rocks by the strong waves and couldn't get back up onto the cliff, or worse been knocked out by the thrust of the waves? Steve's mind was going into overdrive and he was starting to panic, even more than usual. That was about the time when he was finally met with the most beautiful sound in the world, Danny's sarcasm.

"You know Steve if I didn't know any better, with the amount of worrying you do about me, I might actually think you had me on rent!" Danny shouted back up, pulling his hand out of the cranny as he was still attempting to clear away the few remaining rocks. Having managed to loosen a particularly large rock and to clear space, he chucked it over the side. When Danny felt he had made a big enough space to get a clear view into the dark hole, he bent back over and shined the torch inside to see if he could find the source of the warmth. When the strong beam of light finally reached the depths of the hole, Danny noticed more of the mysterious blood seeping out onto the rock face. Carefully reaching his hand out, he again dipped his index finger into what he was pretty sure was human blood; He could be mistaken, but he rarely was. Raising his hand towards his face for a better look, he quickly realized that his assumption was correct. Now a bit more cautious, Danny stuck the torch further back into the hole and was horrified at what he saw. There slouched between the two cliffs and covered in blood, was a dead body. The body appeared to be that of a young girl, no older than 20 years old. Her eyes glazed over with a permanent look of terror on her face as she looked straight through him. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought she was still alive. Her lips and cheeks looked like they still had a bit of a rosy glow to them. Couple those things with the fact that she is obviously still warm, means that Steve and Danny couldn't have shown up to long after her body was dumped in these rocks. "Wonderful" Danny mumbled to himself, "just what we needed."

"Ummmmm...Steve?!" Danny yelled towards the top of the rocks. Before waiting for Steve's answer, he quickly found a good footing and began his climb. While dealing with the rocks and dead body, the tide had risen up to being just short of the ledge Danny had been standing on. That was when he noticed that the wind was picking up and the waves seemed to be getting more and more volatile. Looking up towards the sky, he saw what he thought to be storm clouds moving in. It was just one more thing to add to this perfect evening of disasters. The wound in his leg was no doubt starting to take a toll on his partner, so he didn't want to even think about what might happen if he didn't reach Steve soon.

"Yes Danny? Wait, if you are going to say another sarcastic comment in reference to how much I love you or my worry for your safe being, then I will skip the commentary. If you have something relevant you would like to discuss with me then please, by all means, proceed." He shouted back adjusting himself against the rock so Danny wouldn't know that he had tried to clamber to his aid. His white shirt was now ripped in three places, showing off his six-pack and toned abs, but he could just play that off as having happened between his fall and Danny helping him climb up to the top afterward even though he knew Danny wasn't stupid, so really his attempts were doomed to fail.

"We are going to need to call for CSU as well as an ambulance; we have a body down there," said a familiar face as Danny dragged himself fully on top of the rock. He rolled onto his back and just laid there for a few minutes resting and catching his breath. He felt an immense amount of relief wash over him. He was once again on more secure ground, with the cell phone intact, and he could see Steve; something that truly calmed him even though he would never give Steve the satisfaction of knowing it. It would go straight to his head and make him even smugger that he already was.

"What do you mean we have a body down there? How the hell could you have found a dead body? I mean I know you are a good detective, but seriously?" Danny sat up and made his way back towards Steve and recalled everything that had happened while he was gone. During his explanation, the rain had started to fall lightly and thunder and lightning could be seen and heard in the distance. They both started to assess the situation; Steve's cell phone still had no reception even on top of the cliff. They were stuck out here for the night, that was a given, but they really could not stay out in the open with a storm rolling in that looked like it was going to be a doozy. Danny stood up and walked along the outer perimeter looking for a place that might be able to shelter them from the storm. Looking over the edge behind where Steve was resting, Danny noticed what appeared to be the opening of a small cave about 15 feet below. The cave was going to be their best bet and it would still be high enough that as the tide kept rising, no water would enter it. Even though Steve was hurt, he was going to have to try and climb down.

"Steve, we have got to move babe. There seems to be a cave over here and it should hopefully keep us dry and out of the storm until I can go get help in the morning. Do you think you can try to climb down? Maybe even just slide down? It doesn't look too far."

"Danny, I am perfectly capable of getting myself down there even though I am hurt. Remember, I am a Navy SEAL, I have been trained to endure worse. Let's just hurry up and get down there. The storm is picking up speed and the rain is starting to fall quicker. We don't want the rocks to get too slippery before we get down there."

"Okay you're right. I will go down first and make sure it's actually big enough for both of us, because let's face it babe, you are not the smallest man running around. Then you can slide down and I will be there to help you in case you slip or fall." Danny gestured before slowly making his way over the edge. After a couple steps down, he was standing outside the caves enterance. He once again used his torch to look inside and was relieved to find that it indeed was big enough for both of them to weather the storm. He was also relieved not to find any more surprises, like a dead body. Returning to the opening, he yelled up for Steve to make his way down. Luckily Steve made it down without encountering any issues because just as he landed on the cliff's edge, the heavens opened up and the storm really began.

With both men now safely inside the cave and as comfortable as they were going to be able to get for the night, Danny finally asked the dreaded question, "Be honest Steven, how is your leg? I know we were joking around and everything, but you know that is my coping mechanism. When I heard you scream it felt like my world was ending. I can't lose you Steven, I just can't. I mean, what if it's not just a broken leg? What if something happens to your blood because of your lack of movement, what's it called… deep vein thrombosis? What if you get that? They might have to amputate your leg and you won't be able to take Gracie swimming and you promised her Steven! " Danny was really working himself up and Steve just couldn't take it anymore. He loved it when Danny ranted, but not when it was about his own safety. So Steve did the only thing he knew that would shut Danny up, he kissed him.

It was a soft and gentle kiss. Danny froze mid-rant and relaxed into it with a small sigh. Steve reached out and intertwined their fingers together in Danny's lap, while Danny raised his other hand to cup and caress Steve's cheek as the kiss deepened. There was nothing about the kiss that was desperate, needy or hurried. It was purely a kiss of reassurance. Reassurance that Steve was in fact okay; that they were both okay and that they would get out of this situation they were in when morning came and the tide rolled back out. When Steve pulled their lips apart, he rested his forehead against Danny's and said, "I'm okay. I promise."

Trying to get more comfortable in order to find a way to make the pain in his leg more bearable, Steve moved to lie down and rest his head in Danny's lap. Danny's fingers started to gently run through his hair scratching, massaging and caressing his scalp. Steve's body was finally starting to relax, and with all the adrenaline that was running through his body wearing off, he was starting to fall asleep.

"I love you Danno," Steve whispered.

"I love you too super SEAL."

While Steve slept almost peacefully in Danny's lap, his mind was still racing. The sound of the thundering storm curled its way through his ears and only deepened his worry. Steve was there and he was ok, but he couldn't guarantee how long that would last…


End file.
